In conjunction with the release of the new live-action film, The Lion King, The Walt Disney Company and the Lion Recovery Fund have launched #ProtectThePride, a global campaign to help recover Africa’s embattled lion populations. Panthera is a proud partner of the Lion Recovery Fund; our research and conservation actions have proven that by providing strong protection and increasing tolerance for lions among the people who live with them, we can successfully recover lion populations.

The Birth of a Pride

Just like in The Lion King, young lions face numerous threats, both natural and human-caused. But, with the birth of every new litter of cubs, there is hope. In Mudumu National Park in Namibia, Panthera’s Southern Africa Regional Director Paul Funston and Lise Hanssen from the Kwando Carnivore Project recently discovered two lionesses with new cubs in their study area--the possible beginning of a new Mudumu Pride.

The two lionesses are sharing a den and raising their litters together. The cubs’ father is a beautiful male named Nakatwa, who never seems to stray too far from his family. We are hopeful for the survival of this new pride. Panthera will continue to track the progress of this new family in hopes that one day, one of these cubs will grow up to be king.

Protecting Prides Since 2006

Since its founding in 2006, Panthera has been breaking new ground in the study and conservation of Africa’s iconic lions, the “king of beasts.” The challenges are steep: lions face enormous pressure from direct poaching, poaching of their prey and conflict with humans, among other threats. While populations in the best managed protected areas are faring well, most are experiencing devastating losses.

In October 2015, the world’s leading lion scientists sounded the alarm about the precipitous decline of lion populations across Africa; the study, based on Panthera’s extensive surveys of nearly 50 protected areas projected that half of Africa’s remaining 20,000 lions could be lost in just two decades.

Panthera and our partners are helping to reverse this decline by securing the most vulnerable lion populations in 14 countries--ramping up security in protected areas to combat poaching and reducing human conflict with lions by increasing tolerance in rural communities and ensuring local people benefit from their presence.

Check out some of the critical programs we are conducting with support from The Lion Recovery Fund as part of their goal to double lion numbers in Africa by 2050:

Kafue National Park, Zambia: developing a clear law enforcement strategy to combat bushmeat poaching and other threats to lions within the park

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Learn More About Lions

The release of The Lion King is a great excuse to brush up on your lion knowledge and invite others to join you in raising awareness and supporting lion conservation using the hashtags #TheLionKing #ProtectThePride.